Hand operated router attachment



March 1959 c. L. PICKERSGILL 2,878,842

HAND OPERATED ROUTER ATTACHMENT Filed July 16. 1957 INVENTOR. CLAY TON L.P/CKER$G/LL AT TOPNEVS Un tsd aw FWD HAND OPERATED ROUTER ATTACHMENT Clayton L. PickersgilL Mill Valley, Calif.

Application July 16, 1957, Serial No. 672,329

3 Claims. or. 144-134 This invention relates to an attachment for a 'router of the type having an annular base on which is mounted 2,878,842 Patented Mar. 24, 1959 Z provided with a pair of handles 5, 6 preferably extending slantingly upwardly from the housing of the router adjacent the base 7. For the purpose of the present in-' vention handle 6 (shown in dot dash line in Fig. 1) may be omitted. A hardened face plate (not shown) is also ordinarily secured to the base'7 but by the-present invention suchface plate is replaced by a relatively large 61011? instance the face plate is removed and the support 10 is an electric motor provided with a spindle to which'is attached a cutting tool. A In normal use the cutter is 'removably secured by means of a chuck to the motor driven spindle, and projects through the central opening of the annular base. The base customarily includes a hardened face plate fastened to the base by countersunk screws so that the router may be slid over the surface tobe worked without substantial wear.

Routers have heretofore been employed almost exclusively for routing or milling out slots and other recesses and therefore have had a relatively limited and specialized use. The main object of the present invention is to expand the use of the conventional router to include functions heretofore performed by planes, sanders and other finishing tools.

' Another object of the invention is the provision. of an attachment for a router that is readily installed and by which it is possible to remove material projecting from a surface in addition to removing material under the surface asin the conventional operation of the router;

/ Still another object of the invention is the provision of a simple adapter for a router that facilitates finishing corners of cabinets and the like where'on'e' side "of a cabinet projects beyond the adjacent perpendicularly disposed side. In this connection, it is customary practice 'in the cabinet making art to assemble the various sides of a cabinet so that one side extends past the adjacent side-to which it is connected. Although such excess of material may be extremely slight it is nevertheless. a laborious and time consuming task to removetheqsame even with a power sander. In addition, since the outer surface of the side beyond which the excessive material extends is usually a finished one, the above described operation must be performed very carefully so as not to mar such finish. By the present invention such excess of material may be more speedily removed and in a more accurate manner than has heretofore been possible.

Other objects and advantages will be seen from the following specification and from the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a cross section through a corner of a cabinet or the like showing the invention in elevation with portions of the router broken away and in section to show internal structure.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the invention.

Figs. 3-5 are schematic cross sectional views showing securedby means of screws 12 threadedly cooperating with the existing holes 11. J

The support 10 consists of a generally annular portion 13, which replaces the usual face plate, and an elongated slide portion 14 integral with annular portion 13. Slide 14 is laterally offset relative to the router and is provided with a handle 15 which in effect replaces the existing handle 6 of the router (Fig. 1). Thus the assembly may be manipulated by the user by grasping handles 5 and 15.

Secured to the underside of slide 14 are a pair of longitudinally spaced glides 16, 17 which, in addition to forming a stable support for the assembly, may be made of smooth, hard material such as laminated plastic to provide little or no frictional resistance ,to movement over the surface of the work with which it cooperates. Glides 16, 17 are preferably secured by adhesive.

The device of Fig. l is shown in working position relative to a corner of a piece of work which is formed, in the example shown, by a horizontally extending side20 to which is perpendicularly secured the end of a vertically extending side 21.

Side 21 is conventionally formed so as to'extend past the outer surface 22 of side 20 so that it is necessary to remove the excess material indicated at 23 (Fig.1). For the purpose of removing such excess material a cutter 25 is secured by its shank 26 to the chuck 3 which, as pointed out above, is carried by the spindle of the electric motor of the router.

Cutter 25 is preferably provided with cutting edges 27 lying in a plane at'right angles to the axis 2 of the router spindle and also with cutting edges 28 at right angles to said edges 27. It will be noted in this connection that cutting edges 27, rotating at a high speed, are capable of finishing the cut surface of side 21'to a very high degree of finish. Cutting edges 28, of course, contribute to cutting away the excess material 23.

At this point it may be noted, with the device in the position of Fig. 1, it may be translated by means of ham dles 5, 15 along the length of the corner with the cutter 25 diposed over the edge of side 21 as shown. It is apparent that it is merely necessary to adjust the shank 26 of cutter 25 longitudinally with respect to chuck 3 and tighten the latter when the cutting edges 27 are in a plane substantially coincident with the plane of outer face 22 of side 20 so as to make the cut edge of side 21 coplanar with the outer face of side 20.

For the purpose of accurately positioning the cutter 25 relative to the work a guide member generally designated 30 is provided. Integral with the underside of annular portion 13 of the support 10 is a boss 31 to which is releasably secured a stop member 32 which is provided with an elongated slot 33 to permit adjustable movement of the stop 32 toward and away from side 21. A bolt 34 provided with a washer 35 is passed through slot 33 and is threadedly secured in a tapped hole in boss 31. By adjustably positioning the guide member 30 it is obvious that the device may be arranged so that the cutter 25 is in the proper cutting position, and the size of the cutter may he made large enough to take care of any reasonable thickness of material to be cut.

It will be obvious that the above described finishing operation may be performed very quickly and in afool proof manner. It is merely necessary that the user make certain that the glides 16, 17 are in face to face engagement with face, 22 of side 20 to insure proper cutting. In this connection it is desirable that, the slide portion 14 of the support be made sufficiently heavy so that when the, same is disposed horizontally (which would normally be the case) there is no tendency for the device to tilt from the position shown.

Itv will be noted that the annular portion 1310f the support 10 is axially offset relative to axis 2 from the outer surfaces of the'glides 16, 17 so that, the cutter 25 is clear of any interference as is the portion of the work that is being cut.

Fig. 3 illustrates the types of finishing operations the invention is designedto perform. Fig. 3 shows the above described example in which the excess material 23 of side 21 is to be removed with the support 10 cooperating with side 20.

Because of the extreme accuracy of the device it may be employed in the instance shown in Fig, 4 wherein the sides 38, 39 define the corner to be worked on; the excess material on side 38 being indicated at 40. If an expensive laminated plastic sheet 41 is secured to side 39 it is important that the. same not be marred during the finish ing operation. By very accurately positioning the cutter 25 in the chuck 3 so as to just clear the plastic 41 a speedy accurate job may be performed without. endangering the plastic.

If desired, a bevelled, edge, may be provided by employing a bevelled cutter 42 such as shown in Fig. 5.

It should, be understood that the specifically described embodiments of the preferred form of the invention above described are not to be taken as restrictive of the same as, it is obvious that variations in design may be resorted to without departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a router having a power driven spindle and a base disposed. in mutually right angular relation, an attachment for said router adapting the latter for finishing apiece of work adjacent a corner thereof, said piece of work being defined by a pair of angularly disposed faces, comprising: a support for said router having a planar surface for supporting engagement with one of said faces, means securing said support to said base in a position laterally offset from one side of said base and with said base being, spaced from said surface and said one face, a cutter carried by said spindle and provided with a cutting edge substantially coplanar with said one face for removing material projecting from said one face upon rotation of said spindle.

2. In combination with a router having a power driven spindle and a base disposed. in mutually right angular relation, an attachment for said'router adapting the latter for finishing a piece of work adjacent a corner thereof, said piece of work being defined by a pair of angularly disposed faces, comprising: a support for said router having a planar surface for supporting engagement with one of said faces, means securing said support to said base in a position laterallyoffset from one side of said base and with said base being spaced from said surface and said one face, a cutter carried by said spindle and provided with a cutting edge substantially coplanar with said one face, for. removing material projecting from said one face upon rotation of. said spindle, guide means carried by said base and adapted to engage theother of said faces for positioning. said cutter relative, to said corner.

3:. In combination with a router having a power driven spindle andv an, annular base generally concentric with the axis of said, spindle and disposed in right angular relation thereto, an attachment for said router adapting the latter for finishing a piece of work adjacent a corner thereof, said piece of work beingdefined by a pair of perpendicularly disposed faces, comprising: a support for said router having a planar surface adapted to slide on one of said faces,, means securing said support to said base in a position laterally offset therefrom with the latter in spaced parallel relationship, relative to said surface, a cutter carried by said spindle, and provided with a cutting edge substantially coplanar with said one face when said surface is in, engagement with said one face for removing material projecting from said one face upon rotation of said spindle, a guide. carried by said base and having a stop portion adapted to engage the other of said faces when saidsurface is, in face toface engagement with said one face for positioning said cutter adjacent said corner.

RefereucesCited in the file of this patent UNITEDv STATES PATENTS 2,630,151 Turnbull Mar. 3, 1953 2,672,898 Schuster Mar. 23, 1954 2,702,569 Yelle Feb. 22, 1955 2,705,032 Pearson Mar. 29, 1955 2,751,945 Beach June 26, 1956 2,756,785 Godfrey July 31, 1956 

